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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · cabinet · fall · toast · bowl · rest · hand · saw

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. net — for catching
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rest — a break
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com